Th hstry f nx dts bck t th md-1960s, whn th Msschstts nsttt f Tchnlgy, Bll Lbs, nd Gnrl lctrc wr jntly dvlpng n xprmntl tm-shrng prtng systm clld Mltcs fr th G-645 mnfrm.
Mltcs ntrdcd mny nnvtns, bt ls hd mny prblms. Bll Lbs, frstrtd by th sz nd cmplxty f Mltcs bt nt ts ms, slwly plld t f th prjct. Thr lst rsrchrs t lv Mltcs – mng thm Kn Thmpsn, Dnns Rtch, Dg Mclry, nd J ssnn – dcdd t rd th wrk, bt n mch smllr scl.
n 1979, Rtch dscrbd th grp's vsn fr nx:
Wht w wntd t prsrv ws nt jst gd nvrnmnt n whch t d prgrmmng, bt systm rnd whch fllwshp cld frm. W knw frm xprnc tht th ssnc f cmmnl cmptng, s sppld by rmt-ccss, tm-shrd mchns, s nt jst t typ prgrms nt trmnl nstd f kypnch, bt t ncrg cls cmmnctn.